Search form

You are here

Fall Berries Are a Bounty For Birds

Photo Group

Cedar Waxwing (left) and American Robin (right)

Photo by:

Mary Nemecek

When the shortening days of late summer give way to fall, most people notice a substantial decline in activity at their feeders. Mother Nature provides a bounty that lures the birds from the feeders to something more tempting. Ripening berries abound and one way to keep the birds in your yard is to grow some of the preferred berry-bearing natives. They have excellent wildlife value and are attractive in the landscape as well. In addition, birds that are not normal yard visitors may show up for the fruit feast. Keep a close eye and you may see waxwings, warblers, vireos, thrushes, bluebirds and kingbirds among many others. Many of these native plants provide cover and nesting sites for birds throughout the spring and summer. All of the following are native to Missouri.

American Beauty Berry (Callicapa americana) deciduous shrub 3-5ft with spectacular bright violet berries in late September or early October. Full sun/part shade. May die back to the ground in winter.

Rough-leaved Dogwood (Cornus drummondii) Small tree or shrub, to 16ft, that is easily recognizable by it’s white berries in late summer/early fall. Has showy white flowers in the spring. Full sun/part shade.